Mexican Chili: Turkey, Squash, Poblanos & Black Beans

This Mexican-style turkey chili is my go-to for using up Thanksgiving leftovers, but it’s good enough to make year-round. The combination of butternut squash, poblano peppers, and a smoky ancho-chipotle spice blend gives it a depth that plain chili powder can’t touch. I’ve been growing and drying my own chile peppers on the farm for over 20 years, so I’m particular about how smoky heat gets built into a dish. This one gets it right.

It’s a slow cooker recipe, so the hands-on time is minimal. The squash breaks down just enough to thicken the broth while the turkey stays tender.

Quick Summary: A Mexican-style slow cooker chili with turkey (or leftover Thanksgiving turkey), butternut squash, poblano peppers, and black beans. Smoky depth comes from ancho and chipotle chile powder. Prep: 30 min | Cook: 6 hours (slow cooker) | Serves: 6

Jump to: RECIPE | Ingredients & Substitutions | Building Smoky Flavor with Dried Chiles | Step-by-Step Photos | FAQ

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Ingredients and Substitutions

Here are the ingredients used in the recipe below, with ideas for substitutions following the photo:

The Turkey

I used cooked turkey leftover from our Thanksgiving meal for one testing, and for the other test I used a store-bought raw turkey breast and cooked it in the microwave.

Ground turkey would work just fine also, but I would saute it with the onions and poblanos before adding to the crockpot to enhance the flavor.

Of course pork, chicken or beef would work just fine with the flavors in this recipe. Again however, if you use ground meat, saute it first with the onions to enhance flavor. Otherwise just chop your protein into bite size pieces and add to the slow cooker.

Vegetarian chili? You bet. Just use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth and exclude the meat.

Peppers

I used fresh poblano peppers as they are medium spiciness and complement the smoky ancho powder used in the recipe. You could also use ancho peppers (dried poblano peppers) which would rehydrate in the slow cooker broth.

If you like your chili with more spicy heat, you can always switch out the poblano peppers to a jalapeno, serrano or even a habanero.

Usually, however, chili is made for a crowd with diverse tastes around hot peppers. Therefore, I would stick with a medium hot pepper and then serve the chili with a bottle of hot sauce on the table.

Spice Blends

There are so many ways to go with spices. I used the classic cumin and bay leaf and then added a Mexican flair with a smoky ancho/chipotle mix and a little cinnamon.

**Pro Tip: Toast cumin seeds lightly and then grind into a powder with your coffee grinder for superb extra flavor

Beans

Black beans are a classic when using the Mexican flavors in this dish. Kidney beans are a classic for chili in general, white beans complement chicken chili, and pinto beans work with all chilies.

Black beans also have the visual benefit of looking really pretty with the orange squash in the Fall.

Can’t decide? Mix and match the beans to your preference.

Of course you can use dried beans if you are a bean aficionado, but I just opted for canned beans for ease. I use dried beans when the bean itself is the star, but in this chili, beans play a side role to the squash and poblano peppers.

*Note: If you are on a strict slow carb diet, squash might take you over your carb limit. A chili recipe with beans and Mexican spices that is compliant with a slow carb diet is this crockpot big batch chili.

This chart from eljornalero.com.mx (magazine) is a great breakdown of the various chile peppers in their fresh vs dried form.

Mexican Chili Peppers Fresh (Fresco) vs Dried (Seco)

Building Smoky Flavor with Dried Chiles

A poblano pepper is the fresh version of an ancho pepper. The ancho pepper is smoked and dried and used extensively in Mexican cooking to add a smoky, medium background heat.

The chipotle pepper is a smoked and dried version of a jalapeno, but it is quite a bit spicier than the ancho. Just know that the heat level of these peppers varies quite a bit depending on where it was grown and how it was smoked.

In the recipe below I used a smoky blend of ancho, chipotle and smoked pasilla. I grow and dry these peppers on our farm, but you can purchase powdered versions of each and blend your own mix.

Did you know? The heat level of chili peppers is related to the amount of stress they have in their growing environment. We tend to have hot Summers and I don’t water that much so our peppers are generally ”stressed” and therefore tend to be on the hot side. My article on “How to Grow a Salsa Garden” will give you tips on growing and selecting chile pepper varieties for your own garden.

Illustrated Step by Step

Here are the steps lined out with photos. For the details of the recipe itself, see the recipe card below.

FAQ

More Mexican Stews

Another Mexican slow-cooker chili recipe that you might want to check out is this Mexican Chili with Pre-made Mole Sauce.

If you enjoy all types of Mexican food, check out this category of ALL Mexican recipes, where you will find over 40 Mexican recipes, from casual, to low carb, to fancy.

If you’re following the slow carb diet, check out my simple Slow Carb Allowed Foods list or grab my more comprehensive ebook called A Guide to Fat Loss Through a Slow Carb Diet for meal plans and troubleshooting tips

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